CID’s Hard to Swallow campaign sees win for Tanisha!

We have great news about Tanisha, who features in our Hard to Swallow campaign. Tanisha’s Mum, Bronwyn has just met with Tanisha’s NDIS planner. They have told her they are reinstating Tanisha’s swallowing therapies into her NDIS plan!

Minister Paul Fletcher and the NDIA have also agreed that, until they reach a final position with the States on who funds swallowing therapy, the NDIS will fund the ongoing assessment and monitoring of meal plans for NDIS participants, except when they are in hospital.

The NDIA has confirmed to CID that this agreement includes the NDIS funding first assessments and meal plans for participants who are in the community rather than hospital. This of course does not include specific medical interventions a participant needs such as barium swallow xrays.

The NDIA have also communicated that they acknowledge their ongoing responsibility for the support of a person’s needs to implement their meal plan, including the training of families and support workers.

Reinstating Tanisha’s swallowing therapies is a great win for Tanisha and her family and signals real improvements in funding swallowing therapies for all NDIS recipients.

But there is more work to do. Many more people, including Ellen (right), have not had their swallowing therapies reinstated – this needs to happen urgently. And we need to ensure interim funding for swallowing therapies becomes permanent.

CID will be watching closely to see how this is delivered by the NDIS and we need to keep the pressure on the government to ensure that these interim decisions become permanent ones.